BARTOW, Fla. — Pivot. Who has not said that once or twice during the pandemic?  Many times, that word leads to an incredible transformation.

We discovered one of those transformations during one of our Florida on a Tankful journeys.  

What You Need To Know

  • Unfiltered Coffee in Bartow opened 10 days before the pandemic shut them down

  • Unfiltered created an artisan space for lessons, sold meals

  • The space is still available for classes

Aside from the occasional rumble of a car, the streets of Bartow stayed pretty quiet through the pandemic.

But not all was silenced this year. You'll find familiar sounds inside a weathered building in Bartow that houses Unfiltered Coffee.

Unfiltered survived a tumultuous year. They opened March 5 — that’s March 5, 2020. Ten days later they closed.

“It was crazy. So we opened with all these grand plans of things we had worked on for two years, and then 10 days later we had to regroup and rethink our plan, which we did,” owner Geanie Folder said.  

She dove straight in with a 180-degree approach. 

Jeanie sold meals to go while creating a space with eccentric art pieces she collected over the years, and above this shop, another way to keep the lights on: an artisan's dream. A room to create, where you can join local artists who will teach you the tricks of their trade, learning to master textiles, painting, anything you can think up. All of this is a way to help keep the doors open and to give back to the community.

“A creative space attracts creative people, but other people come in too and they just look around and they go 'wow, I've never seen a place like this for a coffee shop'. And that's all a testament to Geanie,” a long-time customer said. 

With one cup of coffee at a time, Unfiltered is pressing on, showing the perseverance of Florida’s small businesses. 

“This little community has held us up every single step of the way. I mean there is no getting around it. I still get emotional. There is no getting around how emotional I still get thinking of how much this community loves on us, and continues to come in here,” Folder said. 

Unfiltered is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For their classes, make sure to call ahead as the schedule changes from week to week.